So just finished watching Captain America: The First Avenger. Went to a midnight showing here in NYC. This won’t be a typical review, as I want you all that will be going to see the movie this weekend to enjoy. Let me just say first off I am an Avenger’s purist. Been reading, collecting and talking Avengers for over 30 years. With that said I think Marvel is doing a great job with these movie renditions of said comic book characters. Now, for the readers looking for everything exact to the history of the Captain America comic book, you will be disappointed in that. But the way the movie handles Cap being found in our time and the main storyline in the 1940’s, awesome. Cinematography and the capture of that time are perfect. Chris Evans as a scrawny Steve Rodgers (the CGI to make him 90 pounds was top notch). Marvel always has a way of condensing and making sense of things that we the layman would think should take hours to explain. Director Joe Johnston makes due with a good 10 minutes putting together the feel of how Captain America was used as a propaganda tool in the original comic book created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. It was like the actual comic book came to life and putting years of story and depiction of the character in perspective. It fit perfect. (Have to watch the movie to really get a feel for it). Now as I mentioned earlier, as a purist I always am going to want to see a movie rendition come as close as possible to the actual storyline. Don’t get me wrong, I can live with certain changes and updates as necessitated by the times. Also, I’m good with tweaking a storyline to make better sense to the average layman watching the film…(like the inclusion of Howard Stark being involved in the actual creation of Captain America) I can live with that. Captain America was shooting on all cylinders until Bucky’s eventual death. I have only one reason the writer and director handled this the way they did…they are actually going to follow up with the Winter Soldier storyline.

They could have actually done his death exactly the way it happened in the comic books. I t would have fit perfectly with the way they handled Cap getting on ice. As with many movies, Captain America: The First Avenger convolutes many major storylines to accommodate a somewhat 2 hr movie. Examples: The Howling Commandos are great but no Nick Fury…Bucky doesn’t wear a costume, but is a believable character. Red Skull is the main villain and not Baron Zemo, altering the death of Bucky…Howard Stark having a hand in creating the machines that help create Captain America. The Cosmic Cube plays a major role in the film…but is referred through out the film as a gift from the Norse Gods. I get why they’re doing these things. To give all the movies a cohesive feel and connection.
All in all the acting is spot on. Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Billy Tucci and Chris Evans are solid in there respective roles as Colonel Chester Phillips, Red Skull, Dr. Erskine and Captain America. From 1 – 10, I’ll give Captain America a 7, visually a great looking film and well acted. Also, stick around after the credits for a first look at the Avengers movie. If it’s anything like what it looks like…look out 2012, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes will be “Assembling”…assembling millions of people on line to their neighborhood theaters.